Obi-Wan Kenobi Returns In First-Look Images From The Disney+ Series
It may be that only a Sith deals in absolutes, but we finally have our first look at the upcoming "Obi-Wan Kenobi" TV series and it is absolutely worth the wait.
It's been almost 17 years since we last saw Ewan McGregor as Kenobi, and time has not been kind to the Jedi Master, but of course, who can blame him? Try surviving the mass genocide of all your co-workers, chopping the limbs off the man you considered your brother, and living in arguably the worst planet in the entire galaxy, all while maintaining a beauty regiment.
Still, the man is looking good for someone about to age into Sir Alec Guinness! While we wait for the official trailer to bring brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new empire, let's obsess over these images for a little bit, shall we?
A new hope
For their final print cover, Entertainment Weekly has revealed the first images of the upcoming Disney+ series, which somehow is still just titled "Obi-Wan Kenobi." The series is premiering on May 25, 2022 and will be set approximately 10 years after Anakin Skywalker turned his back on the Jedi Order and let a galaxy-wide massacre during the events of "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" (though Obi-Wan gained the high ground).
We don't know exactly what "Obi-Wan Kenobi" will be about, but it's not hard to get some ideas based on what we know. As the new images from EW show, the series will not only see the return of Kenobi, but also of Joel Edgerton's Uncle Owen, meaning we are back to Tatooine and will maybe get a glimpse of a 10-year-old Luke Skywalker. What is more interesting, however, is that the series' villain will be an Inquisitor named Reva (played by Moses Ingram from "The Queen's Gambit").
Lucasfilm
The Inquisitors were originally created for "Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game" back in 1987, but made their first appearance in "Star Wars Rebels." They serve as the galaxy's take on the Spanish Inquisition, a group overseen by Darth Vader and commanded by Emperor Palpatine himself, whose only purpose is to hunt down remaining Jedi who have survived the Purge. Befitting a "Star Wars" villain, they are incredibly cool and have spinning lightsabers that are quite hard to handle in real life. According to EW, Moses Ingram's Reva is described as "ruthlessly ambitious." One of the images shows Reva confronting Uncle Owen, which is never a good sign, given one of them has a lightsaber and the other is just a moisture farmer.
Lucasfilm
If you were expecting a show about Obi-Wan to follow a cool, invincible warrior willing to take down dozens of troopers at once for the hell of it, think again. Speaking to EW, McGregor says, "We find Obi-Wan at the beginning of our story rather broken, and faithless, and beaten, somewhat given up." This, of course, makes sense. You don't simply see the fall of the Galactic Republic, chop off your best bud's limbs, and see his wife literally die of a broken heart and keep an upbeat attitude about life. It is highly likely we won't see this version of Obi-Wan do that much fighting, since he was already a rather calm and softy Jedi to begin with, preferring to talk rather than fight.
What is perhaps most interesting from the images is the reveal that we won't be stuck on Tatooine for the entire first season. According to writer Joby Harold, we will see other planets, including Daiyu, a new planet that "sort of has a Hong Kong feel to it."
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" premieres on May 25, 2022 on Disney+.